Summer Haze
by quixr3v
Summary: Set during the summer after Incredibles 2. Dash-centric and hopefully some Violet. (See notes.) He makes a friend, enjoys summer, and does some growing up.
1. Chapter 1

"Ohhhh yeahhhh! Summmmeeerrr!" Dash proclaimed. Having hastily thrown his backpack into the living room and dashing off into the acres of forest surrounding the mountain-side mansion that was still their home.

From what Violet and he gathered, Winston was even more resolute in forcing the home on them, signing over the deed to them in a series of apologies over Evelyn's caused mayhem. The kids enjoyed this, and their parents eventually acquiesced given Jack-Jack's still uncountable powers and the privacy that this home afforded them.

In the weeks since everything calmed down over their last family superhero outing, Dash only had really begun to explore the surroundings. In fact, taking in the grounds helped him train and go slower when running. He wasn't able to go slow without concentrating, but fortunately the landscape was expansive enough to keep his distracted when at a reduced speed.

But with this particular outing, he skipped his training and just enjoyed himself in the speed and thrill that was his namesake. Ten wonderful weeks of freedom. Of lounging. Of not doing anything and everything at the same time. There was no waking up too early. No schedules. No late nights doing homework. Just a blank slate.

It was in this blur of happiness that he saw something flash by at the corner of his eye. This particular route took him to one of the few roads on this mountain and it was the first time that he ever heard a car.

In fact, it was the first time he realized there was even another house up here. It looked more like a traditional house, but still much larger. Less modern than their current residence, if not older in style. There was a moving truck and Dash spied a woman and a man carrying boxes.

"Neighbors," Dash thought. They looked about mom and dad's age, maybe younger. And maybe there were kids his age! As much as he liked the new house, it was harder to do things with other kids. It was always a hassle driving into the city, and he didn't want to bother his parents. He could always run over, but he was sure he'd be forever grounded if they caught him speeding off.

He eyed the man wheel in two bicycles, but unfortunately they seemed to be both adult-sized. However, he soon found the answer to his original question.

The ring of a bicycle's bell broke him out of his distant spying behind a tree. He was going to make a dash for it, but was caught. Looking behind, Dash saw a girl on a bicycle with a flame-themed helmet.

She just stared at him, sitting on her bicycle, and making no move to disembark.

"I," Dash began flustered, but not at being caught. "I'm..."

"Spying," the girl answered for him.

"Yes," he began, grateful at something other than stuttering, before really realizing what he admitted to. "No! I was running and saw neighbors and got excited..." finally beginning a coherent narrative, but was interrupted into silence when she rapidly got off the bike and stepped right in front of him.

"You live near here?" she asked more excitedly than questioningly, gesturing to their surroundings.

"Yea, yeah!" Dash exclaimed, finding his normally enthused cadence.

"I'm Amand.. Mandy," extending a hand, which Dash after a second shook with both of his.

"We're just moving in, and the entire drive up I didn't see any other houses and thought I was going to be stuck here for the entire summer. It was so nature-y, not that there's anything wrong with that! I love it, it's just lonely. Sorry..." Mandy becoming self-conscious that was speaking really fast and a lot, and that she cut him off from saying his name.

"And I'm Dash," finally speaking after realizing that she stopped a moment ago. "Mandy?"

"Yup," before adding, "I shouldn't have been so accusing earlier... sorry."

"Oh, no, I probably shouldn't have been so sneaky. I was just excited that there were maybe people."

"That makes the two of us," she smiled, and so did Dash — though he didn't do so consciously or realize it at the time. "You have a cool name, it sounds fast."

"More than you know," Dash thought to himself. Mandy continued, "That's why I bike, to go fast. Feel of wind and all that."

He was about to chime in about that same feeling when Mandy asked, "So what grade are you in?"

"I'm starting Junior High this fall," he was again about to ask her, but she answered it.

"Get out," giving him a shove in the process. "Me too, Western..."

"View."

Many gave a brief recap that her parents wanted to get away from the city and how they waited until she finished elementary to do so. Dash gave an abrupt summary of why they were now living in the mountains, not technically lying, but only selectively divulging certain facts.

"This is going to be great," Mandy said bubbly, excited at the prospect of having a friend before starting school. She thought Dash looked similarly excited by the possibility from his matching grin.

Mandy looked at her wrist, "Hey, I have to get going," gesturing at the house

Dash glanced at the horizon, not realizing how late it was getting. "Same." He very slowly started walking around her, feeling that he should say something else, but not quite sure what.

"Same time tomorrow?" she blurted. Noticing that Dash looked puzzled, she grew nervous. "I mean if you're running again and I'm biking again I thought we could..."

"Oh yeah, definitely. Yeah!"

"Well," they both said at the same time, finding it hard to look at each other's face for some reason.

Dash said bye, as Mandy waved. He uncharacteristically didn't run off the second he was out of eyesight, rather walking into the setting sun, thinking about his possible new friend. Could he even call her a friend, they just met after all?

* * *

Notes: So, I knew I wanted to write an Incredibles FF after the second movie. Tried to write stories around Violet, but I couldn't write in her style. Realized that Dash was more of a blank slate to work with. Generally defined personality, but nothing too specific and therefore could mold into whatever I wanted.

I'm also inspired by the summer season to write a tale about. A story about enjoying the summer and maybe growing up in the process. Please provide feedback on where this story should go, and what's already here.


	2. Chapter 2

The next afternoon, Dash gave the excuse of running. It wasn't really that much of a stretch. He was sprinting for some portion of the way to Mandy's.

On the way there, Dash realized that he had no idea where she would be. He should have asked more follow-ups. He was always mired in a lack of specificity because he didn't ask questions due to not realizing that he would need those answers in the future. Be it for homework, or planning.

He could always stake out the area with his speed if she was out biking, and just pretend to slowly "run" into her.

Fortunately, that was not needed when Dash saw her under the tree, reading a book.

The first thing he noticed was her hair. It was previously obscured under a helmet, but now he noticed distinct red locks. Mandy was still engrossed in reading when he got the idea to use his speed to sneak up behind her. Specifically, directly behind the tree, so he could maybe deliver a mild surprise.

* * *

"Hi," said Dash in not a particularly loud fashion from right beside her. The intended effect ensued.

"Dash," she screamed and stood up, her book having been thrown to the very reaches of the tree's shade on that summer afternoon.

He picked up the book and offered it to her which she promptly used to smack his shoulder thrice. "Never. Do. That. Again," though the amusement in her voice was evident by the last bludgeon.

Mandy sat down and patted to a spot beside her for him to join. "That stealthiness was impressive, I have to admit."

Mandy smiled and looked at him, "Hi."

"Hello," he replied. "What's new?"

"Oh, all the boxes are in, though most of them are unopened. Oh! I slept in a sleeping bag under the stars last night. Have to admit, can't do that in the big city. Loved that. Might have to delay moving my bed into my room, ha. Anyways, it's so quiet out here. I always use to hear traffic. I mean I tuned that out, but here there's no need. Just the pure sound of wind rustling and I feel like I can hear for miles and miles. Oh, and the moon. It's beautiful," at this point Dash was following her exaggerated gesturing at the sky.

She went on to describe the celestial body as if it came out early and the sky was already pitch black. Her hair was being highlighted by the streams of light that were breaking through the tree they were sitting under. It looked like it was on fire.

Exhausted by this, she slumped and laid against the tree. Mandy was usually self-conscious about her passionate tangents, but didn't feel quite so with Dash. It helped that he was smiling through the entire escapade. A genuine smile at that, not just a polite one. Smiling herself now thinking about it, she turned to ask, "How about you?"

"Oh," thinking for a moment. Mom was at work, so everyone was at home, just lounging and doing their own thing. "A bit quiet, my mom's coming back from work tonight, so we're all doing something then."

"Big family?"

"Just mom and dad, an older sister and a baby."

"Baby," Mandy explained. "I love babies."

"Ha," thinking that Jack-Jack would be a handful for anybody, even the enthused.

She continued, "Only child here. I think I like it for the most part, though wouldn't really know any better, would I?"

"I'm basically an only child. Violet's much older, and the baby is still a baby."

They continued like this on the pros and cons of both lifestyles, finding common ground in effectively being an only child, though Mandy made him realize how he appreciated having Violet as a big sister. Then again, their relationship improving as of late.

There was a lull in the conversation, not an awkward one — just a natural end to the topic at hand. And Dash was fully content just sitting under that tree for the rest of the afternoon with Mandy. He appreciated the natural splendor of the vast greenery before them and the shining sun above that was tempered by a light breeze that added a sway to the taller grass.

Smiling, he turned to her and noticed that she was looking at him funny. Dash assumed that Mandy felt the same way.

In fact, she did. Mandy was happy that this displacement was turning out all right. As much as she loved the energy of the city that matched her own manic disposition, this world before — the peace and quiet — was actually quite charming.

The current company also helped. It was amazing to her that she got on with the first person she met better than all her "friends" — really just people she knew — before. School was just complicated.

Anyways, she did feel happy, but immediately felt panicked when she realized Dash was looking at her looking at him. "Show me around?" Mandy blurted, haphazardly shooting up and extending her hand to him.

He grabbed it, unconsciously really, without hesitation. But it was as Mandy was pulling him along that he realized he was now holding her hand. Mandy's hand. Not his mom's or Violet's, but somebody wholly new. For the past 24 hours, Dash could hardly think about anything else other than her. He was anxiously waiting to see her again. Mandy made him feel funny. She just seemed so different. So bold, and not afraid to her pure self. He liked that confident, bubbly, imaginative, storytelling self that he found.

For her part, she was just desperate hoping to change the conversation, as such when she let go of his hand unconsciously, it was only Dash who immediately missed the feel of it, but also restarted his brain.

"Have you explored the top of the mountain yet?"

"Nope," Mandy shook her head. I really only went in a circle around the house when I biked yesterday.

"Come on then," Dash exclaimed, leading the way. He asked about city life during the trek. Mandy and her family lived in a high-rise, and was much more of a city dweller, compared to his suburban upbringing.

On the way, Mandy vividly described the first she and her parents were still out at midnight and the city streets were still bustling with lights and sound.

"It's not really a peak, it's a bit flat," Dash commented as they finally made it up. The sun was beginning to set, but Mandy didn't seem to mind as she pulled him down to join her on the ground, tired and out of breath.

* * *

Thanks for the nice comments all. Do keep chiming in.


	3. Chapter 3

"Mom?" Dash asked, looking for a private moment all evening during their stay-in family weekend following Elastigirl's return.

"Yes sweetie?" Helen taking note of the piped down reservation she never before recalled hearing from her son.

"What do you do?" he began. "If people at school ask?"

Helen had to pause for a second. They would still need a cover despite Supers being legal. "Your father and I haven't decided yet. We'll come up with something before summer's over though."

"Oh."

Helen found it odd that Dash was being so forward looking.

"How about when we meet somebody beforehand?"

This time it was Helen who replied with "Oh."

"If we do, I mean," Dash regretted asking immediately and was fortunately saved by Bob calling everybody back into living "cave" to resume the movie.

* * *

Later that night, Dash found himself unable to really sleep. The movie went on for a while, with Violet and he nodding off before the end, and even Jack-Jack. However, he was fully awake now following a knock on the door from his mom checking in. He felt she wanted to bring up what they were talking about earlier, but he must have looked tired enough that she pushed it to another time.

Now awake, he made his way to the favorite part of his new room. Pillow at hand, he settled into a large, tall nook for a window. He was small enough to comfortably put his feet up and gaze outside at the moon.

A moment from what was now the previous day coming into mind.

* * *

They stayed on top that mountain for quite a while, again talking about this and that. Everything of little consequence, it being summer after all.

"We should get going," sighed Mandy as the sun was about a quarter of the way from fully setting. She greatly enjoyed the view that Dash took her to. She commented how they should picnic here one day. There were some large rocks to lay against, though the lack of shade was unfortunate.

As she rose first, Dash looked up at just the right moment to see Mandy being lit from behind, her red and orange hair appearing like soft flames of dying fire.

"What's up?" she having no particular clue as to why there was an awed expression on his face.

"Noting," Dash replied — thinking that he was caught for gazing — as he got up, but ended up standing face-to-face, or rather the head shorter that he was compared to her.

"No seriously?"

"It's kinda dumb."

"Try me," a defiant look on her, but her actual lack of seriousness revealed by the amusement in her voice.

"Your hair looked liked it was on fire for a second."

She smiled a smile that emboldened Dash to add, "It was the most stunning thing I'd ever seen."

"Oh," Mandy replied, awed herself at the reply. Flushed cheeks joining the hair, while Dash awkwardly stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"Race you down," Dash interjected, with Mandy eventually following. The actual racing was confined to a minute or two, and afterwards they quickly found themselves side-by-side walking back down.

* * *

They stopped at the tree, their tree really, the sun a wisp on the horizon.

"Today was really fun, thanks for taking me up there," said Mandy, leaning against the bark.

"Yeah, never really had a chance to stop and appreciate the view," due to the fact that it was always just a spot for him to run to and come back from.

"I guess I should, oh! Can I get your number?"

"Yeah!" before she transitioned that to "Oh... hasn't been installed yet. Sometime next week, Monday, I think. Hard to get anybody up here."

"Oh..."

"Yeah," an awkward pause permeating. "So, I'm busy this weekend, well every. The family thing, but same time Monday!?" Mandy asked, hoping that her loneliness and boredom wasn't too apparent.

"Definitely," he replied, happy that she wanted to hang out with him again.

"Ok, so."

"Have fun with your weekend thing."

"Thanks, same with your mom getting back."

Neither really knew how to say goodbye, each instead continuing the conversation with increasingly minor observations and things they remembered.

After a pause in which they finally ran of things to delay saying bye, Mandy awkwardly patted the side of his arm and quietly said "see you."

"Bye," with more of a smile upon his face.

* * *

Thoughts please, is the story moving too quickly?


End file.
